Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $5.39 Million Stock Holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Free Report) by 1,391.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,935 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,531 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $5,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Vulcan Materials by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 472,194 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $118,251,000 after acquiring an additional 106,187 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,454 shares of the construction company's stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 193,497 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $49,773,000 after purchasing an additional 102,944 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Vulcan Materials by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,845 shares of the construction company's stock worth $732,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new position in Vulcan Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $994,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Vulcan Materials Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:VMC traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $273.62. The company had a trading volume of 168,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 941,865. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 2.02. Vulcan Materials has a one year low of $215.08 and a one year high of $298.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $247.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.53. The company has a market capitalization of $36.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The construction company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.20. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vulcan Materials will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Vulcan Materials's payout ratio is 27.80%.

Insider Activity at Vulcan Materials

In other Vulcan Materials news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $405,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,640. This represents a 34.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VMC. Seaport Res Ptn raised Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group upgraded Vulcan Materials from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $280.00 to $318.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Vulcan Materials to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $273.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $302.91.

Vulcan Materials Profile

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.